Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive

In 2004 the Council and European Parliament adopted an Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (IPRED). To make fast adoption possible (before 10 new members joined the EU), criminal penalties were taken out. Now these criminal penalties are back in 2 new proposals. Often these are referred to as IPRED 2. The official name is:

Proposal for a EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DIRECTIVE on criminal measures aimed at ensuring the enforcement of intellectual property rights

Proposal for a COUNCIL FRAMEWORK DECISION to strengthen the criminal law framework to combat intellectual property offences

No Justification

The proposals lack proper justification, the justification given is just one A4 long. The subsidiarity principle is violated. There is no need for the proposals, piracy is already prohibited in European countries. In some cases, penalties go up a 100 times. There is no indication at all that this is needed. For instance, in the Netherlands, no prosecution has taken place for violation of trade names for over 50 years. Why then a 100 times more severe penalty?

Neutrality of police investigation

Right-holders can help the police to draw conclusions. There goes neutrality of police investigation.

Legality

People are entitled to know what is forbidden. But with "intellectual property" rights it is often unclear. For instance patents often do not survive a civil court case. So, in the end no right was violated. As far as the Commission is concerned prosecution can start, while it may turn out there was no right that could be violated. This is not about whether person A committed crime X, but whether crime X is a crime after all, or not. That has to be known before person A acts. With many IP-rights, it is not known. Legality is missing totally. The outcome of civil patent cases is unpredictable. A lotery. This is unacceptable with criminal cases.

Software and business methods are excluded from patentability, but only "as such". "As such" has been regarded as unclear for 30 years. The meaning has been shifting. It is impossible to base criminal sancties on such unclear laws.

With trade names, if companies act locally and there is enough distance, it is no problem and no violation to have the same name. So, having the same name is no problem or can get you a four years sentence - as far as the Commission is concerned. A lotery.

[http://www.ipred.org/nl NL: Gevangenisstraf voor octrooiinbreuk]

[http://wiki.ffii.org/Ipred2En FFII]

[http://plone.ffii.org/Members/coordinator/FFII%20UK%20IPRED2%20consultation.pdf/download FFIII-UK]

[http://www.fsfeurope.org/projects/ipred2/ipred2.en.html FSFE]

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